Fiction

Sunday, May 09, 2010

KERIS Stainton is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. Totally unassuming and modest, she is a fabulous writer and blogger and now, don't you know, author of Della Says: OMG!

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared... When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets?

Here's an interview with Keris to mark publication of her first young adult novel, which I can't wait to read.

Monday, May 03, 2010

There were times over the weekend where I felt overwhelmed. But this was in a good way.

I was at the York Festival of Writing where I was invited by Kate Allan to give a talk on um, making money from writing. Not many people there seemed to think this was possible. But then I was talking about a different kind of writing - non-fiction, journalism, copywriting - you name it - not fiction.

I don't see why the two have to be mutually exclusive and I came away from the event the most determined I have ever been to make a go of a novel.

Listening to bestselling novelist Katie Fforde explaining how she was rejected for seven years by Mills & Boon, that 'writing shouldn't read like writing' and that by working at your craft and persevering were the keys to success was quite something.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

ONE of the reasons I love Twitter is the way you can connect to the most unlikely people - including authors. I've been tweeting with Jackie Collins - I'm not writing erotic novels but I do find it funny that she's on Twitter as her books certainly played quite a part in my formative years *cough*.

So last night I tweeted her (she's @jackiejcollins) the following questions: how many pages do you write a day when you're working on a book, and do you always draw on real life experience?

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

HEARD the latest about Steffi McBride? She's been asked to sign up for the next series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, apparently. Oh and she has had a rose named after her, writes Linda Jones.

Perhaps you don't have a clue about this latest D-lister to hit the party circuit who says she's stayed up all hours with Paris and Kylie. And possibly you don't care a jot. But what, arguably, makes Steffi more interesting than your average airhead celeb is that she's the figment of an author's imagination and these tantalising - or annoying - insights into her star-studded existence come courtesy of her updates on Twitter, the social media "microblogging" site, and her Facebook page.